Modifying Photo and Photo Collection Properties

Photo data can be viewed and modified in the photo collection property sheet and photo list. Information displayed in the property sheet refers to the collection that is currently selected in the collection list, while information in the photo list is specific to each photo.

Information about the photo collections and photos (e.g., coordinate system, sensor width, focal length, photo position information) is generally read from a loaded Excel or XML file that includes this information. These parameters can then be adjusted in the collection property sheet and photo list.

 

To display and modify photo collection properties:

1.      In the Project Tree, select the collection, and click the Properties tab.

2.      In the collection property sheet, modify the property value as required. SeeCollection Property Sheet” in this chapter for more information.

To display and modify photo properties:

1.      In the Project Tree, select the collection, and click the Photo List tab.

2.      In the Photos list, select the required photos, and modify their properties as required. See "Photo List" in this chapter for information.

Note:       You can also search the list for the required photos. SeeSelecting Items Using the Item List” in the “Basic Concepts” chapter for information.

 

Collection Property Sheet

A picture containing graphical user interface Description automatically generated

 

Property

Description

Collection

Name

Name of the collection in the Project Tree.

Calculate Camera Parameters

Method of calculating the camera’s intrinsic parameters.

§  Entire collection – Calculate the AT so that the camera intrinsic properties are the same for all photos in the collection.

§  Per photo – Calculate the camera intrinsics individually for each photo in the collection.

Note:   Parameters should be calculated per photo when not all of a collection’s photos were taken by the same physical camera with identical focal length and principal point.

Coordinate System

Coordinate system of the collection. Click Select  to set a different coordinate system. See “Coordinate System” in the “Basic Concepts” chapter for more information.

Ignore Orientation

Ignore the orientation value.

Orientation Method

Select which system to use to set orientation: OPK (Omega, Phi, Kappa) or YPR (Yaw, Pitch, and Roll). This selection determines which fields are displayed in the Advanced Position section of the property sheet.

Camera

Focal Length Normalization

Camera properties used to set the focal length.

Select one of the following options:

§  Focal length and sensor width

§  Focal length and pixel size

§  Focal length 35

Sensor Width

Size of the camera sensor in millimeters.

Pixel Size

Size of a physical pixel on the camera sensor in millimeters.

Focal Length

Focal length in millimeters.       

Focal Length 35

Equivalent focal length in millimeters for a 35 mm film camera.

Principal Point Reference

Origin and units of the principal point. Select either:

§  Top left in pixels – Positive x-direction is to the right and positive y-direction is downwards.

§  Top left in mm – Positive x-direction is to the right and positive y-direction is downwards.

§  Center in pixels – Positive x-direction is to the right and positive y-direction is upwards.

§  Center in mm – Positive x-direction is to the right and positive y-direction is upwards.

Principal Point X

Principal point X value in pixels or mm according to principal point reference.

Principal Point Y

Principal point Y value in pixels or mm according to principal point reference.

Width

Width of photo in pixels.

Height

Height of photo in pixels.

Gamma

Brightness of the photo’s colors.

Effective Range

Maximum distance from the camera position for which photo information is considered valid for the aerotriangulation.

Calculated Effective Range

Whenever the Effective Range parameter value is not provided, PhotoMesh calculates the maximum distance from the camera for which photo information is considered valid for the aerotriangulation, and then displays and uses this value.

Crop Area

Percentage of the photo to use in the project. Blurry or obstructed areas on the edges of a photo will be cropped based on this property value.

Use in Textured Model

Select the check box to include this collection in the textured model.

Use in Orthophoto

Select the check box to include this collection in the orthophoto.

Use in Point Cloud

Select the check box to include this collection in the point cloud output.

Bands – Hyperspectral

Hyperspectral bands in the collection’s photos. These bands can be used in texturing the 3D model and in generating the orthophoto. See “Setting Reconstruction Parameters” and “Setting Output Formats” in the “Building” chapter.

Note:    The band information is retrieved from the collection information in the photo list Excel or XML, the collectionProperties XML, or from the first photo in the collection. See Loading an Excel or ContextCapture XML Photo List File” and “Loading Photo Files from Disk” in the “Photo Management” chapter. You can manually set the value for each band in the property sheet.  

1

Select the first band.

2

Select the second band.

3

Select the third band.

Camera Distortion (Optional)

Radial and tangential distortion calculated using the Brown-Conrady model. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distortion_(optics)#Software_correction for more information.

K1

Defines the 1st radial distortion coefficient.

K2

Defines the 2nd radial distortion coefficient.

K3

Defines the 3rd radial distortion coefficient.

P1

Defines the 1st tangential distortion coefficient.

P2

Defines the 2nd tangential distortion coefficient.

Advanced Position (Either OPK or YPR offset and flip values will be displayed, depending on your selection above for Orientation Method)

Altitude Offset

Offset from the current altitude value.

Omega Offset

Offset along the Omega axis in degrees.

Phi Offset

Offset along the Phi axis in degrees.

Kappa Offset

Offset along the Kappa axis in degrees.

Flip Omega

Flips the Omega axis.

Flip Phi

Flips the Phi axis.

Flip Kappa

Flips the Kappa axis.

Yaw Offset

Offset along the Yaw axis in degrees.

Pitch Offset

Offset along the Pitch axis in degrees.

Roll Offset

Offset along the Roll axis in degrees.

Flip Yaw

Flips the Yaw axis.

Flip Pitch

Flips the Pitch axis.

Flip Roll

Flips the Roll axis.

Secondary Yaw Rotation

Additional rotation along the Yaw axis in degrees, that is performed in YPR order after the photos' OPK or YPR orientation and offsets were applied.

Secondary Pitch Rotation

Additional rotation along the Pitch axis in degrees, that is performed in YPR order after the photos' OPK or YPR orientation and offsets were applied.

Secondary Roll Rotation

Additional rotation along the Roll axis in degrees, that is performed in YPR order after the photos' OPK or YPR orientation and offsets were applied.

 

Photos List

In the Photos list, you can view and set photo properties, as well as set photo visibility and inclusion in the project. When calculated camera positions are displayed, you can also view calculated property information for a selected photo. SeeAbout the Item List” in the “Using the Project Tree and Item List” chapter for information on working with the Photos list.

Graphical user interface, application, table, Excel Description automatically generated

Photo List

To open the Photos list:

§  In the Project Tree, select a Photos collection. The Photos list lists all the photo files in the collection, with the following information/options:

 

Property

Description

Selection

Select the photos on which to perform an action, e.g., create tie point, show/hide camera symbol, exclude, delete.

Collection

Name of the photo collection (Read-only).

Name

Name of the photo.

Visible

Select the check box to show the photo in the 3D Window.

Exclude

Select the check box to exclude the photo from the project. This option is not available in Review mode.

Project Original

Select the check box to project the photo on the terrain in its original camera position. A photo can be projected on the terrain to see if it fits the terrain imagery or to better understand the position of the photo. Only photos that have positioning (XY coordinates and altitude) and orientation (Omega, Phi, and Kappa) information can be projected.

Note:   Projecting multiple photos simultaneously can take several minutes.

X

East-west coordinate of the camera. (Required)

Y

North-south coordinate of the camera. (Required)

Altitude

Altitude of the camera in meters. (Required)

Omega

Omega Euler angle in degrees.

Phi

Phi Euler angle in degrees.

Kappa

Kappa Euler angle in degrees.

Yaw

Direction angle of the camera along the vertical axis relative to north.

Pitch

Tilt angle of the camera along its lateral axis relative to the horizon.

Roll

Roll angle of the camera along its longitudinal (front-to-back) axis.

Path

Full path of the photo.

K1

Defines the 1st radial distortion coefficient.

K2

Defines the 2nd radial distortion coefficient.

K3

Defines the 3rd radial distortion coefficient.

P1

Defines the 1st tangential distortion coefficient.

P2

Defines the 2nd tangential distortion coefficient.

Calculated Cameral Position Information (Additional columns)

Note:   If you want to view calculated information for a selected photo, click the Calculated button on the Tile tab.

Project Calculated

Select the check box to project the photo on the terrain in its calculated camera position.

Median Error 

Median of the triangulation errors of all the features in the photo. The triangulation error is the distance, in pixels, for each of the features in the photo, between the automatically identified feature and its projected triangulation position.

X Calculated

Calculated east-west coordinate of the camera.

Y Calculated

Calculated north-south coordinate of the camera.

Altitude Calculated

Calculated altitude of the camera in meters.

Omega Calculated

Calculated Omega Euler angle in degrees.

Phi Calculated

Calculated Phi Euler angle in degrees.

Kappa Calculated

Calculated Kappa Euler angle in degrees.

K1 Calculated

Calculated 1st radial distortion coefficient.

K2 Calculated

Calculated 2nd radial distortion coefficient.

K3 Calculated

Calculated 3rd radial distortion coefficient.

P1 Calculated

Calculated 1st tangential distortion coefficient.

P2 Calculated

Calculated 2nd tangential distortion coefficient.